Junior Thesis

Rigorous Analysis | Original Research & Creation | Impactful Communication

At GCDS, all students complete a Junior Thesis on a topic of interest by the end of their Junior Year. Building on the foundational skills of the 9th and 10th Grade curriculum, this guided, year-long program is intended to be a highly personalized, transformative experience. The Junior Thesis represents a college-level work of original research that demonstrates mastery of a field as well as interdisciplinary methodologies and knowledge. It serves as an example of rigor and meaningful work where student choice and interests drive the learning. The Thesis must include a substantial written component, but the student can tailor the format to their project, including a humanities research study, a scientific experimental research study, an engineering project, an artists’ statement, or linguistic analysis. The Thesis Program is also designed to provide students with an example of advanced work to support their application to college/university, arts school, and engineering programs during their Senior Year college process.

Students identify a field and a Thesis Advisor by the beginning of their 11th Grade year. Over the course of that year, students work with their Thesis Advisor and with their Seminar teacher to dive deeply into their chosen field(s) and to develop their research project. Iterative drafts are considered with feedback and critique. Projects are often aligned with applied experiences, including internships or service/volunteer endeavors, and the Thesis project can be a critical element in the college application process. Student and Thesis Advisors assemble a faculty committee for final assessment of the project, and works of exceptional ambition, research, and expression are eligible for assessment at the Honors level.

To access the Thesis Program Guide, please follow this link.

Questions about the Thesis Program?

Emily Auerswald, Thesis Program Coordinator

E: emily.auerswald@gcds.net

GOALS

Develop a Comprehensive Dialogue with a Research or Artistic Field

In order to contribute to a field of research or artistic expression, one must first understand the contours of that field. Working with their Thesis Advisor and their Seminar teacher, students gain an understanding of the major ideas, debates, and methods that animate their chosen field(s) of study. This includes diligent and expansive research, literature reviews, and analysis of established scholarly/artistic work. The Thesis Advisor works with each advisee to set the parameters for the development of a solid contextual understanding of chosen field(s).

Original Research and/or Creation

Over the course of the Junior Year, students develop a series of products that will represent components of the final Thesis work. Field-specific guidance, as well as the expectations for Honors-level thesis writers, are below. Deadlines for each component are also outlined below, and specific dates will be communicated by the Seminar teacher. In addition, standards and rubrics will be provided by the Seminar teacher well in advance of deadlines listed.

Presentation of Findings

The Thesis Program includes three formal presentations of work:

1) Semester I Exhibition of Learning. This takes place in early December and represents a public workshop of the project design and preliminary findings.

2) Thesis Defense. This takes place in early April, during which each Junior defends the project and findings before a faculty committee, which is responsible for assessing the student’s work.

3) Junior Thesis Exhibition, held in early May. At this event, students display their work for the public.

Whether developing a project in engineering, the arts, or the humanities, all students go through the process of planning, creating, improving, and presenting their projects. Working with their mentors in the program, students will draw from the Upper School’s core Project Learning Model in the conceptualization of their Thesis process.

THESIS COMPONENTS

An intellectual product that represents an approach to research that a student will experience at the college/university level. For example:

A 20-page research study in the humanities, social sciences, or sciences
A scientific or mathematical research study
An environmental impact study or policy project
An Artistic Statement (incl. Curated works/composition to show process, as well as examples of influences)
An original computer program or engineering project

A Formal Thesis Defense

Including their thesis advisor, as well as 2 additional faculty members and a public audience
The thesis committee assesses the thesis on an A-F scale, and the thesis grade appears on the transcript

A Public Presentation of Research

Participation in the Junior Research Exhibition (Humanities and Sciences)
Participation in the Junior Thesis Arts Exhibition/Recital (Visual and Performing Arts)

JUNIOR THESIS AWARDS

Each year, the Upper School faculty gives awards for the top thesis in each major research or artistic field, including:

The Social Sciences
The Humanities (including World Languages)
STEM Fields
The Visual and Performing Arts

This year saw an impressive array of Junior Thesis projects. The faculty has recognized the following theses with Junior Thesis Awards for the 2023-2024 School Year:

STEM

“Strategy, Subterfuge, and Deception: How Cancer Cells Hide From the Body’s Natural Defenses” (Kai Harashima)

“Partial Differential Equations: How Mathematicians Revolutionized the Economy” (Bobby Jones)

Social Sciences

“The Property Tax and Education Inequality in Connecticut” (Jackson Anderson)

“The Neuroscience and Psychology Behind Equine-Assisted Therapy: Horses Are Capable of Inspiring Change” (Leena Aronson)

“Smog in Our Brains: The Correlation Between Increased Air Pollution and Anxiety and Depression in Adolescents” (Olivia Karanikolaidis)

Arts

“Growing Pains: An EP on Finding Maturity and Self as an Adolescent” (Daphne Hentsch-Cowles)

Humanities

“How Socialist was National Socialism?” (Kyle Bassalik)

“The Mental and Physical Healthcare Disparities of Women in the French Incarceration System” (Reminy D’Albert)

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